Alvah clarence tebbetts



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVAH CLARN CE TEBBETTS,

VOF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Li P.-c uARo. Ann' PaoTEcToa.

srncrmcnrron forming pm of Letters' Patent No. 622,564, dates April 4, 189,9. Applidation filed September 30, 1898. Serial No. 692,299. (No model.)

To all whom it may concorre:-

Be it known-that I, ALvA'n CLARE-Non TEB- BE'rTs, of Boston, in the county of Suifolk an'd'State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inzLip- Guards and Protectors, of which the followin g'is a description sufficiently full, clear, and

llO

exact to enablethose skilled .irr the art to Which it appertains or with'which it is most nearly connected to make and useythe same.

This invention has for its object the provision of a lip-guard'and protector adapted to be placed over the edge of adrinking cup or glass,` so as in drinking from the cup or glass to guard the lips from coming into contactl with the latter and as a co'nsequence protect the person drinking from being poisoned or otherwise detrimentally affected by any substance left on the glass by the person first drinking therefrom. v

It is well known that a person cannot put a cup or glass to his or her mouth and drink therefrom without to a greater or less extent depositing or leaving upon the glass where the mouth was applied some of the mixed secretions of the salivary glands and the mucous membrane of the mouth, so that to persons sensible of this fact it is repulsive to drink after another from the same cup or glasswithout first cleansing it. Again, in case where a person drinking from a cup or other Vessel is diseased or has irri'tated or diseased lips such cup 1s rendered a positive danger hygienically to another drinking after them or at least from the same place or point of the same Vessel without first cleansing the edge of the cup. Moreover, it is known that it is impracticable in some ,places and under some circumstances to furnish individual cups to persons who Wish to drink or to cleanse the cup after each individual has drank therefrom. This is the case generally, for example, with people traveling in railway-cars and Wherever water is offered for drink publicly.

lt :is to overcome the objeetions and forbid-l dings mentioned that I have provided my invention, which consists of a lip-guard and protector for drinking v'essels,'comprising a piece of suitable material bent to form two? members, one adapted to eyxtend inside the cup and the other outside, withthe line o`f bending adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the cup and the bending being of'such a character as to give each member the form substantially that of a segment of a circle, and providing a packing within the bend to prevent liquid in the cup from running over the upper edge below the guard, the free ends of the two. members flaring outwardly, all as is hereinafter fully set forth and explained. Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings,land to the letters marked thereon, forminga part of this specification, the same letters designating the same parts or features, as the case may be, Wherever they occur.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 is a'perspective V view of a drinking glass or'cup having myinvention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of. the invention. Fig. 3 is a view of the in-, vention looking at it from the inside. Fig. 4 is a substantial side view of the invention. Fig. 5 is a vertical Sectional view of the invention.

ln the drawings, a designates the body part or member of my invention, and b is the in,- side or lip member. The two members' are formed from a sheet of suitable material bent or molded so as to integrally connect them along the line c,where a substantial U -shaped form may be given to the device. It would be within the scope of the invention, however, to make the two members in separate pieces and suitably unite them along the line c. A curvature is given to both members aand b and the connecting'portion c inV horizontal cross-section, such curvaturabeing substantially the segment of a circle; so that when the device is placed' upon the edge of a cup d, as shown in Figil, with .the inner lip b inside of the cup and the outer member a on the outside, it will fit upon the edge of a cup or glass, as shown. f'

The members a and b,in addition to being curved slightly in cross-section, are curved from their` point of junction slightly outward, or, at any rate, it has been found advantageous in some instances to have the two members a of junction tremities.

in opposite directions :to their exlt would not be Without the scope lof my invention, however, to have the mem-` bers a andr b extend downward from their point of junction in a plane substantially parallel to each other. Such construction would,

andb slightly diverge from their point IOO the inner member will act as 'bend 2 A I cczi it must be said, be likely to make it a little more diflicult to apply the device to the upper edge of a glass or cup than it would if the members Vwere made to diverge, as before stated.'

` In some instances I render the inner member b foramina'ted by making holes e therein, as shown, so that when the device is in use a substantial strainer to the liquid in the cup or glass that may be drank therefrom.

It is to be remarked that the form of the given to the device along the line c is preferred to be such that in virtue of it when the device is placed upon the edge of a glass, as shown in Fig. 1, it will be packed along the line of the edge of the glass in such manner as to prevent the liquid from running over the edge of the glass between the latter and lthe guard and down outside. In some instances I prefer, however, to secure ,a strip of packing f along one side of the bend c and ou the inside of the device, against which packing the edge of the glass or'cup may be brought, so as to make sure of packing along said line to prevent the overflow of water or other liquid, as stated.

Any desired ontline may be given to the members a and b. .Thatshown in the drawings has been found to be serviceable and not z unsightly. .I donot, by the way, confine my- 'self to such outline or form.

It will be suflicient for my invention to have the device composed ot' two members unitedV as stated and adapting the device to be placed upon the edge of a glass or cup, as shown in Fig. 1, and subserving the-purpose of guarding the lips of the user of the glass from coming into contact with the latter and guarding him or her against the dangers and objections to drinking from `a Vessel fromwhich another has previously drank before the Vessel has been cleansed.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described azway of constructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forthall of the forms in which jit may be made or all of the modes of its use,

it is declared that what is claimed is- 1. A lip-guard and protector for drinking vessels bent or molded along the line c and forming the parts or members ab, each member being given the form of a segment of a circle in cross-section, a packing being secured in the bend, and the two members flaring outwardly in opposite directions at their free ends'as described.

2: A lip-guard and protector for drinking vessels composed of the members a and b connected by a substantiallyIU-shaped bend c in cross-section and a packing f secured in said bend.

In testimony whereof I have signed: my name to this specification, in the presence of 'two subscribing witnesses, this 3d day of September, A. D. 1898. z

ALVAH CLARENCE TEBBETTS. Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. CRossLEY, ANNIE J .VDAIL`EY. 

